Cracked ice maker and transport system

ABSTRACT

A partial-compaction means receives cracked ice product formed by cracking a solid column of ice and reforms the cracked ice product into a cohesive column which will readily pass through a transport conduit without jamming. The cohesive column of cracked ice is sufficiently compacted to advance the entire column at a generally uniform rate of flow and resists localized compaction which can cause plugging of a delivery conduit. The cohesive column of cracked ice particles has ample voids and fissures therein to accommodate bends and turns customarily encountered in delivery conduits. Further, since the cohesive column is looselyknit, it easily breaks apart into discrete particles in the storage area.

United States Patent [1 1 Morrison [4 1 July 29,1975

[75] Inventor: John Franklin Morrison, St. Paul,

Minn.

[73] Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Harbor, Mich.

221 Filed: Oct. 7, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 512,526

Turner 62/320 Primary Examiner-William E. Wayner Attorney, Agent, or Firml-lill, Gross, Simpson, Van Santen, Steadman, Chiara & Simpson [57] ABSTRACT A partial-compaction means receives cracked ice product formed by cracking a solid column of ice and reforms the cracked ice product into a cohesive column which will readily pass through a transport conduit without jamming. The cohesive column of cracked ice is sufficiently compacted to advance the entire column at a generally uniform rate of flow and resists localized compaction which can cause plugging of a delivery conduit. The cohesive column of cracked ice particles has ample voids and fissures therein to accommodate bends and turns customarily encountered in delivery conduits. Further, since the cohesive column is loosely-knit, it easily breaks apart into discrete particles in the storage area.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures j 97 il Tull"! M 75 [93 Z1 My 42 34 /0/ M PATENTEDJULZQISYS 3,896,631 SHEET 1 PATENTED JUL 2 9 i975 All-L! (PRIOR ART) CRACKED ICE MAKER AND TRANSPORT SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to auger type ice makers.

2. Description of the Prior Art Ice makers heretofore have typically produced ice by continuously harvesting ice flakes or slush formed on a refrigerated cylindrical wall of a freezing chamber and compressing it into a hardened column of dehydrated ice for upward movement against a knife blade which cracks the ice into a multiplicity of random particles, as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,844 issued to Phillip H. Turner.

Thereafter, the fragmented ice particles are transported through a comparatively large delivery conduit to a desired discharge point such as a storage bin, in a manner similar to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,112,622 and 3.l65.9()4. Since the cracked ice of these patents is transported along the discharge or delivery conduit in discrete random shaped particles, even a minimum resistance to passage of ice along the conduit, i.e., bends. moving the ice upward. etc., would often produce localized packing of the ice. resulting in a plugging of the conduit and stalling the ice makers. Further, upon a temporary stoppage in transporting the cracked ice along the delivery conduit. as when a sensor detects an adequate supply of ice in the storage bin and interrupts continued production, a settling and hardening of the ice frequently results in a jammed condition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the difficulties of the prior art by forming the cracked ice product of an ice maker into a cohesive column of agglomerated ice particles for transport through the delivery conduit in a generally unitary. loosely-joined assemblage of ice. It has been found unexpectedly that such a cohesive column of cracked ice particles will pass through the delivery conduit without jamming. The ice particles, being only somewhat compressed by a partial-compaction means, provide a sufficiently rigid column in compressive strength to accommodate passage through the delivery conduit without appreciable additional compaction. The partial-compaction means also serves to support and position the knife blade in a suitable cracking position relative to the hardened column of solid ice formed by the ice maker. The loosely-joined cohesive column of ice particles provides ample voids and fissures to accommodate bends or direction variations in negotiating the flexible delivery conduit in route to the ice receiving storage bin and may be easily broken apart into discrete particles upon entering the bin.

The advantages of the present invention, therefore. are in the partial-compaction means arranged to form the cracked ice particles produced by an ice maker into a unitary loosely-knit. cohesive column of ice for ease of transport through a delivery conduit.

Another advantage of the present invention is the employment of the partial-compaction means to retain and support the ice cracking knife blade in an operable position relative to an ice extrusion passage of the ice maker.

Yet another advantage of the present invention resides in the partial compaction of the cracked ice particles into a cohesive column which may be transported vertically a substantial distance.

A further advantage of the present invention provides for a partial compaction of cracked ice particles into a cohesive loosely-knit column for transport through a delivery conduit to a storage bin wherein the column may be easily broken apart into discrete particles.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view of an ice making apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention with certain parts broken away and certain other parts shown in vertical section to illustrate additional details;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the ice making apparatus of FIG. 1 with the water system therefor diagrammatically illustrated;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the delivery conduit used in the prior art ice making apapratus;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a partial-compaction means mounted to the ice maker at its extrusion passage;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken generally along the line V-V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but showing an alternate form of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken generally along the line VIIVII of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The improvements of the present invention are used with advantage in an ice maker having a water system all as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,844. Such a structure is shown generally at 10 and includes an evaporator unit 11 having an internal bore forming a cylindrical wall 12. An integrally formed evaporator passageway 13 has a refrigerant or coolant expanded thereinto by a refrigeration system through an expansion valve or other pressure reducing means. Water is introduced into the evaporator internally of the wall 12 through an inlet conduit 15 disposed near a base of the unit II. The water tends to freeze on the wall 12 in the form of a thin film of ice. One or more helical flights 16 formed or carried on a rotating harvesting auger l7 cooperate with the wall 12, which, in effect, forms a freezing surface 14, whereby films of ice formed on the freezing surface 14 will be continuously harvested. The auger l7 progressively advances the harvested ice flakes or particles upwardly in the unit 11 towards a collection chamber 18 superjacent the evaporator unit I 1.

Suitable fastening means. such as bolts 19, attach a radially outwardly extending flange 21 formed on the evaporator unit II to a drive housing 22. A shaft 23 is disposed centrally of the evaporator unit II and has a lower end portion supported within axially spaced bearing means in the drive housing 22. Gear reduction means are driven by a prime mover such as an electric motor M. The shaft 23 is disposed coaxially of the evaporator bore and has a driven connection with the gear reduction means. Water is prevented from entering the drive housing 22 by seal means including a shaft seal 24 engaging the shaft 23.

The harvesting auger 17 includes a central hub portion 26 having a throughbore. A threaded portion 27 of the bore receives an upper threaded end portion 28 of the shaft 23 to support the harvesting auger 17 for corotation with the driven shaft 23. A somewhat cylindrical or slightly conical portion 29 formed on the harvesting auger l7 and spaced concentrically inwardly of the refrigerated, freezing surface 14 has an outer diameter relatively larger than a diameter of the shaft 23 and carries the helically extending flights or blades 16, which have edges 30 closely spaced adjacent the surface 14 to harvest the thin film of ice as the harvesting auger 17 rotates relative to the surface 14.

The collection chamber 18 is formed by a generally circular or inverted cup-shaped cap means generally indicated at 31 and having one or more channels 32 receiving the ice flake product from the harvesting auger 17. Each of the channels 32 extends in a generally spiral path of increasing cross-section for conducting the flake ice product discharged from the evaporator unit 11 upwardly into a central passageway 33 leading into an internal bore or extrusion passage 34 of a compression and forming nozzle 35. The nozzle 35 has a generally outwardly extending flange 36 secured to the cap means 31 by suitable fasteners, such as nut and bolt assemblies as at 37 and the cap means 31 are suitably se cured by a plurality of circumferentially spaced bolts 38 to a radially outwardly extending flange 39 on the evaporator unit. Thus. the drive housing 22, the evaporator unit 11, the cap means 31 and the compression nozzle 35 are detachably secured in a stacked relationship by the fastening means 19. 37 and 38.

In order to compress the flake ice product harvested from the refrigerated freezing surface 14 into a solid ice product, a compression auger 41 mounted for corotation with the harvesting auger 17 receives the flake ice product from the collection chamber 18 and squeezes the ice particles through the extrusion passage 34 to remove excess water and form an emergent solid column of ice at an upper end 42 of the nozzle 35. The compression auger 41 has a depending. threaded stud 43 engaged into the threaded bore 27 of the harvest ng auger.

A water supply system. as illustrated in FIG. 2 and generally indicated at 50, gravitationally feeds water through the evaporator inlet conduit and upwardly through a freezing chamber formed by the cylindrical, refrigerated wall 12. The water supply system 50 supplies water to the evaporator 11 in an amount in excess of the freezing capacity of the ice maker and in excess ofa quantity required to produce the solid ice column emerging from the upper end 42 of the nozzle 35. Thus. a portion of the inlet or supply water freezes in the evaporator. while another portion of the inlet water is maintained in a liquid or unfrozen state.

When a stream of water freezes, suspended impurities and minerals migrate from the freezing portion of the stream and remain in solution in the liquid or unfrozen portion of the stream. Thus. by gravitationally feeding water in excess of freezing capacity and in excess of the amount required for ice production. the film of ice. which forms on the freezing surface 14 is broken into particles or flakes by the harvesting auger 17 and 4 is substantially free of impurities. thereby providing ice flakes. ice particles or ice slush from which a substantially impurityfree finished product may be produced.

Means for discarding the impurity-laden. unfrozen or liquid portion of the inlet water include an outlet conduit 51 connected to a drain and having a drain passageway 52 communicating with an outlet port 53 which intersects the nozzle bore 34. Excess water compressed from the ice flakes or slush forced through the tapered nozzle bore 34 by the compression auger 41 also drains from the nozzle 35 via the outlet port 53 and outlet conduit 51.

In order to gravitationally feed the inlet water to the inlet conduit 15 and upwardly through the evaporator unit 11, the collection chamber 18 formed by the channels 32 and the nozzle bore 34, the water system 50 includes a tank 57 for containing a pool or reservoir of domestic water having a liquid level 58 maintained to a height above the outlet conduit 51. Conduit means 59 form a passageway 61 communicating an outlet port 62 of the tank 57 with an inlet port 63 formed in the evaporator wall 12 at a lower end portion thereof. The tank outlet port 62, the passageway 61 and the evaporator inlet port 63 are each sized relative to the height of the liquid level 58 maintained in the tank 57 to provide gravity flow through the evaporator freezing chamber in the desired quantity. which is in excess of an amount required for producing the finished ice product.

An overflow outlet port 64 communicates with an overflow drain pipe 65 and is disposed slightly above the desired liquid level. thereby draining excess water from the tank 57 for preventing the liquid level 58 from exceeding the desired height.

Water from a domestic supply source is supplied to the tank 57 via a selectively operable valve means 66 supplying water to the tank in response to receiving a signal indicating a demand for the finished ice product. As illustrated in the drawings. the valve means 66 include a solenoid operated valve having flow-control means. The flow-control means may include a flowcontrol washer for supplying a constant flow of water to the tank 57, irrespective of a pressure of the supply source. Sensing means 67 in a storage bin 68 receiving the finished ice product sense a level of the finished product within the bin and control operation of the valve means 66 in response to the sensed level. The storage bin 68 receives the finished ice product from the nozzle 35 via an appropriate delivery conduit 69.

The harvesting auger 17 includes a top wall 70 extending radially outwardly of the central hub 26 and having the cylindrical wall 29 depending from an outer margin 72 thereof. A plurality of radially extending fins or struts 73 extend between the hub 26 and the outer cylindrical wall 29 to reinforce the outer wall.

The harvesting auger cylindrical wall 29 divides the bore or freezing chamber formed by the evaporator wall 12 into an annular region 74 and a central region 76. A plurality of apertures 77 extending through the auger top wall 70 form passageways communicating the central region 76 with the collection chamber 18. and the annular region 74 directly communicates with the channels 32 forming the collection chamber. A top wall 79 of the motor housing 22 closes a lower end of the evaporator 11, and a lowermost. terminal end 78 of the harvesting auger outer cylindrical wall 29 is spaced above the housing top wall, thereby providing a flow passageway 81 admitting the supply of inlet water into the freezing chamber central region 76.

Referring to FlG. 4, a solid column of hard ice is extruded from the-upper end 42 of the nozzle 35 and is cracked into a multiplicity of discrete particles to provide a finished cracked ice product. In this regard, a cracking means, generally indicated at 90, comprises a knife blade 91 supported in a partial-compaction means 92 and has a depending knife or cutting edge 93 extending transversely across the nozzle extrusion passage 34.

As the solid column of ice emerges from the nozzle 35, the column impacts against the knife edge 93 and is split or cracked, thereby forming a cracked ice product. The knife blade 91 includes an upstanding, plateform body portion 94 having oppositely projecting, lowermost marginal edge portions 96, 96 tapered downwardly and inwardly to form the knife edge 93. A pair of oppositely extending tabs 97, 97 project laterally outwardly of the upstanding knife body 94 and overlap peripheral margin 98 of the extrusion passage 34.

In accordance with this invention and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it is contemplated that there is provided a partial-compaction means 92 constituting a tubular extension of reduced diameter and extending axially of the cracking knife to receive the cracked ice product and reform it into a cohesive column. Good results are obtained if the tubular extension has a reduced cross section relative to the delivery conduit from approximately two inches to 1 V2 inches.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 a sheet metal formed member has a knife-holding portion 99 and a radially outward extending clamping flange 101. An outwardly extending flange 44 at the upper end 42 of the nozzle 35 forms an attachment means for the partial-compaction means. The holding portion 99 has a closed geometrical shape in transverse cross section and is formed complementally to a configuration of the passage 34. A pair of diametrically opposed slots 102, 102 formed in the holding portion 99 receive the knife blade tabs 97, 97 in a manner to retain the knife blade 91 in a fixed position above the extrusion passage 34. A plurality of fastening means. such as bolts as at 103, pass through an equal number of spaced apertures 104 in a holder attachment flange plate 101a and engage tapped, aligned holes 105 in the nozzle attachment flange 44, thereby to detachably fasten the partial-compaction means 92 with the cracking means 90 in firm assembly with the nozzle 35. If desired, a sealing gasket as at 106 may be interposed between the flanges 101 and 44.

The shape of the knife edge 93 and its inclination axially of the nozzle through 34 may be varied to provide different types of shapes of cracked or chipped ice. One form of the knife blade 91, as illustrated in FIG. 4, has a knife edge 93 inclined axially of the nozzle extrusion passage 34 and extending in a continuous line transversely thereacross.

In the prior art. as shown in FIG. 3, the cracked ice particles leave the cracking means 90 and pass through a tube adaptor or elbow E and then into the delivery conduit 69 for transport to a point of use. Herein. the inside diameter of the elbow E is of a size wherein the ice particles are unrestrained in expanding and separating into discrete ice particles in moving therethrough and assume a random. unshaped configuration in the conduit. Further, it was found that in certain circumstances, heretofore discussed, these ice particles caused a jamming or plugging condition in the conduit 69' which would stall the ice making apparatus 10.

The present invention on the other hand, provides a limiting expansion of the fragmented ice moving out through the cracking means by a carefully sized partial-compaction passage 107 ofa tube extension 108 of the partial-compaction means 92, extending downstream of the cracking knife blade 91. Herein, the ice is formed into a loosely-knit cohesive column 109 of ice particles for movement through the delivery conduit 69 as a unitary assemblage of ice particles. The cohesive column 109 includes'ample voids and fissures 110 to accommodate bends in the flexible delivery conduit 69 in route to the storage bin 68.

It has been found unexpectedly that such a cohesive column of cracked ice particles will pass readily through the conduit without jamming and will easily break apart again into discrete particles in the storage bin 68. It has also been found that by forming the ice into such a cohesive column, typically comprising 65 to 80% of ice by volume, it has become possible to transport the ice particles vertically a far greater distance than could be attained in the prior art apparatus.

The tube extension 108 also serves as a convenient mount for attaching the delivery conduit 69.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show an alternate form of a partialcompaction means 92 which is of a cast or machined construction and provides generally the same features and advantages as that of the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, while providing a single flange member 101' for attaching the compaction means directly to the nozzle 35. Like structural parts and features are identified with like reference numerals as have already been used in connection with the form of the invention shown and described in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Although those skilled in the art may suggest various minor modifications of my invention, it should be understood that 1 wish to include within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the spirit and scope of my contribution to the art.

Having described the invention, the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A cracked ice maker comprising,

an upright auger type ice generating means wherein a rotating auger removes ice flakes formed on an adjoining refrigerated chamber wall and advances the ice flakes axially upward,

a compaction means including an extrusion passage arranged to receive the upward advancing ice flakes and to compress and form said ice flakes into a dehydrated solid column of hard ice.

a cracking knife means associated with said extrusion passage and positioned relative thereto to reduce the solid column of hard ice into random cracked ice particles.

a partial-compaction means associated with the extrusion passage and positioned downstream of the knife means, wherein the cracked ice particles are compacted into a loosely-knit cohesive column of ice particles; and

a delivery conduit positioned downstream of said partial-compaction means to afford transport of the cohesive column of ice particles to a point of use.

2. A cracked ice maker as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said partial-compaction means including a mounting means to support said knife means relative to said extrusion passage in an ice cracking position.

3. A cracked ice maker as defined in claim 2 and further characterized by said partial-compaction means including a connector for said delivery conduit.

4. A cracked ice maker as defined in claim 3 wherein said knife means comprises a knife blade and wherein said mounting means of said partial-compaction means includes a keying means to fixedly support said knife blade across said extrusion passage.

5. A cracked ice maker as defined in claim 4 wherein said partial-compaction means is arranged to compress the random cracked ice particles into a cohesive column comprising 65 to 80% of ice by volume.

6. A method of producing cracked ice comprising the steps of:

freezing ice flakes on a refrigerated surface,

scraping the ice flakes from the refrigerated surface and compacting the ice flakes into a solid column of ice,

cracking the solid column of ice into random cracked ice particles.

forming the cracked ice particles into a loosely-knit cohesive column of cracked ice particles, and delivering the cohesive column of cracked ice particles to a point of use through a delivery conduit.

7. A method of producing cracked ice as defined in claim 6 wherein forming the cracked ice particles into a cohesive column includes the step of partially com pacting the cracked ice particles into said cohesive column comprising no more than of ice by volume.

8. In an ice maker of the type comprising an upright auger type ice generating means which drives an ice product through a press means to form a dehydrated solid column of hard ice. the improvement of.

a cracking knife tubular means holding said cracking knife in intercepting alignment with said solid column of hard ice to fragment said column into a cracked ice product, and more specifically comprising a tubular extension extending axially beyond said cracking knife and receiving the cracked ice product to re-form the same into a cohesive column of cracked ice particles.

said cohesive column advancing through a transport tube without jamming.

9. In an ice maker as defined in claim 8 and more par ticularly characterized by said tubular means comprising a sheet metal formed member having a radially outward extending clamping flange and a knife holding portion,

and a tubular extension of reduced diameter extending downstream of the knife holding portion to reform the cracked ice product.into a cohesive column.

10. In an ice maker as defined in claim 8 and more particularly characterized by said tubular means comprising a tubular member shaped to have a flange portion for attachment to the press means of the ice maker. said member having formed therein a tubular extension passage of reduced diameter to reform the cracked product into a cohesive column. 

1. A cracked ice maker comprising, an upright auger type ice generating means wherein a rotating auger removes ice flakes formed on an adjoining refrigerated chamber wall and advances the ice flakes axially upward, a compaction means including an extrusion passage arranged to receive the upward advancing ice flakes and to compress and form said ice flakes into a dehydrated solid column of hard ice, a cracking knife means associated with said extrusion passage and positioned relative thereto to reduce the solid column of hard ice into random cracked ice particles, a partial-compaction means associated with the extrusion passage and positioned downstream of the knife means, wherein the cracked ice particles are compacted into a loosely-knit cohesive column of ice particles; and a delivery conduit positioned downstream of said partialcompaction means to afford transport of the cohesive column of ice particles to a point of use.
 2. A cracked ice maker as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said partial-compaction means including a mounting means to support said knife means relative to said extrusion passage in an ice cracking position.
 3. A cracked ice maker as defined in claim 2 and further characterized by said partial-compaction means including a connector for said delivery conduit.
 4. A cracked ice maker as defined in claim 3 wherein said knife means comprises a knife blade and wherein said mounting means of said partial-compaction means includes a keying means to fixedly support said knife blade across said extrusion passage.
 5. A cracked ice maker as defined in claim 4 wherein said partial-compaction means is arranged to compress the random cracked ice particles into a cohesive column comprising 65 to 80% of ice by volume.
 6. A method of producing cracked ice comprising the steps of: freezing ice flakes on a refrigerated surface, scraping the ice flakes from the refrigerated surface and compacting the ice flakes into a solid column of ice, cracking the solid column of ice into random cracked ice particles, forming the cracked ice particles into a loosely-knit cohesive column of cracked ice particles, and delivering the cohesive column of cracked ice particles to a point of use through a delivery conduit.
 7. A method of producing cracked ice as defined in claim 6 wherein forming the cracked ice particles into a cohesive column includes the step of partially compacting the cracked ice particles into said cohesive column comprising no more than 80% of ice by volume.
 8. In an ice maker of the type comprising an upright auger type ice generating means which drives an ice product through a press means to form a dehydrated solid column of hard ice, the improvement of, a cracking knife, tubular means holding said cracking knife in intercepting alignment with said solid column of hard ice to fragment said column into a cracked ice product, and more specifically comprising a tubular extension extending axially beyond said cracking knife and receiving the cracked ice product to re-form the same into a cohesive column of cracked ice particles, said cohesive column advancing through a transport tube without jamming.
 9. In an ice maker as defined in claim 8 and more particularly characterized by said tubular means comprising a sheet metal formed member having a radially outward extending clamping flange and a knife holding portion, and a tubular extension of reduced diameter extending downstream of the knife holding portion to reform the cRacked ice product into a cohesive column.
 10. In an ice maker as defined in claim 8 and more particularly characterized by said tubular means comprising a tubular member shaped to have a flange portion for attachment to the press means of the ice maker, said member having formed therein a tubular extension passage of reduced diameter to reform the cracked product into a cohesive column. 